Wildcats fall in close game against Otters
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 2 weeks AGO
Wildcats player Bradley Swillie takes the ball across the court during the team’s matchup against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters.
COURTESY PHOTO/NEVAEH CAPETILLO
SEASIDE, Calif. — The Central Washington University men’s basketball team (3-2) split its time in the West Region Crossover on after falling to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (2-0) on Saturday. This was following the Wildcat’s 80-68 victory over Menlo on Friday.
“We needed to do a better job of guarding the three-point line today. That was an emphasis going in, and we gave up 15 of them,” said Wildcats head coach Brandon Rinta. “I give our guys credit for fighting the whole game. We dug ourselves out of a hole and cut it to one possession. Just couldn’t get the stop we needed late.”
The Wildcats started off strong with a 7-0 run in the first half. The Otters would get on the board with a free throw, but CWU would respond with a layup from junior Jordan Clark.
Cal State would cut into the lead with a 4-2 run and then add on their score with a 6-0 run following a timeout. Wildcats player Eli Williams hit a three-point and Jalen Childs would make a layup to extend their lead, but the Otters would respond with a three pointer from Ariya Briscoe to make it a four point game.
The two teams would go back and forth through the remainder of the first half before going into halftime with the Otters taking the 40-38 lead.
In the second half the Otters would take a significant 15 point lead going up 83-71 with 4:39 left in the game. The Wildcats would rally for a 10-0 run to cut into the lead and have the score at 83-81 within the final two minutes.
The Otters would continue to apply pressure through free throws and dunks and the Wildcats would fall short ending the game 92-88 in favor of Cal State.
Bradley Swillie led the Wildcats in scoring with 29 total poins followed by Clark with 20. Clark also led the team with five assists, three steals, and a .500 shooting percentage and going 7-14 from the field.
Garrett Marrs led the team in rebounds with seven total boards followed by Clark and Williams with six rebounds each.
The Otters’ Michael Mora led the team with 29 points with both Mora and Joey Bilello scoring 8 rebounds. Jaeden Tengan led the team with 8 assists and Bilello and Ariya Brisco each had 11 blocks.
The three-point percentage was a big presence during the matchup with the Otters hitting 53.6% of its shots and CWU making 33.3%.
The Wildcats will return to Ellensburg to kick of the home opener 7 p.m. Friday against Chico State at the Nicholson Arena. The Otters will be hitting the road for their next five games beginning with a game against Jessup University at the Bill Holtz Classic on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
CWU: 38-50: 88
CAST: 40-52: 92
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Tigers Cross Country ready for their biggest season yet
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team is already hard at work to be in top shape for the 2026 season. With a strong group of returning runners alongside a solid group of new faces, the Tigers are eager to hit the ground running this year. “I’m feeling energized,” said Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts. “We’ve got a good group, one of the largest groups we’ve had in a long time.” The Tigers roster has over 50 athletes that have been participating in early season practices between the boys and girls, who Roberts said have all been mixing together well.
Lions set with smaller but strong squad
MOSES LAKE — Despite seeing a smaller roster this year, the Moses Lake Christian Academy Lions volleyball team is looking to build off their success from last season. With strong returners, the Lions are on track to stay competitive. “We lost some people, but we’ll be able to fill in, so that’ll be nice. Not quite at the numbers that we normally have, but we’ll make it work,” said Lions Head Coach Dean Spurbeck. The Lions concluded their 2025 season with a 10-8 record after battling through a tough Central Washington B League. MLCA entered into the postseason district tournament where they entered as the fourth seed and fell to the fifth seeded Pateros in the second round.
Huskies bring in senior experience for the coming season
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls soccer team is preparing for another tough season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. This year the Huskies are returning with an advantage as they bring back their full roster from last season. “We’re looking good; we’re trending in the right direction,” said Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz. “We’re bringing everybody back that we had last year on our varsity team, so we’re super excited. That makes it a lot easier going into the season.” Last season, the Huskies completed the regular season 6-9-1, which earned them a spot for the district tournament. Othello was eliminated in the first round of districts after a tight game against Prosser that ended in a shootout with a final score of 2-1.